Hamburg
Earth > Europe > Western Europe > Germany > Hamburg
Hamburg
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| <map lat='53.5533628' lng='9.989319' zoom='9' view='3' /> | |
| Information | |
Country:  |
Germany |
State:  |
Hamburg |
| Population: | 1.773.218 (28 February 2008) |
| Licence plate: | HH |
| Major roads: | A1, A7, A23, A24, A25 |
| Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots | |
Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and is located in the north.
Hitching Out
North: Lübeck, Puttgarden, South: Hannover Netherlands, Lüneburg
If you want to go south or towards Lüneburg you should start at Raststätte Stillhorn. It is easy to get there. Just take S3 or S31 to Wilhelmsburg and then a bus (line #13) to Kirchdorf-Süd. You get off at the last stop. Just follow the road for some 50 meters and then you will hear the motorway A1. After crossing a little bridge you're already on the parking lot of the service station. Walking distance is about 3 minutes. If you need to go to the other side of the highway, cross the little bridge and walk right for ~500 meter. There, cross the highway by walking under the tunnel, and behind it you already see the service station to your left. Just behind the on-ramp there's a little path towards the service station.
If you are going towards the Netherlands, get a ride south to Dammer Berge (just before Osnabrück), where the A1 joins the A30 in the direction of Rheine and Amsterdam.
North or South towards Lübeck, Denmark, Bremen
Option 1
There is also a service station you can go to on the A1. To get to it take a S-Bahn train of line S3 or S31 to Wilhelmsburg, then you take the bus 351 (direction Moorwerder, Kinderheim) and get off at Stillhorner weg (NOTE: this is incorrect. The stop to get off at is called something else, but I forgot the name. I took this advice and ended up wandering around for twenty minutes looking for the station before, on his way back to Hamburg, the busdriver pointed me in the right direction!). The ticket cost 2,70€ (as of feb. 2009). maybe ask the bus driver to tell you where it is as its confusing where to get off. From what i remember its that you get off beside a big bank of grass just after you cross nearby the motorway you should be able to see a hotel across a field , walk down a small path about 200m and the service station Stilhorn is there.
Option 2
For going north to mainland Denmark (direction Flensburg, Kiel, Kolding) take the metro U2 towards Niendorf-Markt. From there get out and ask people for the bus station (Busbahnhof). There take bus #191 until stop Sellhopsweg. Get out there, walk some 200m back to the traffic light. You'll see that the road going left follows the way to the motorway. There's no footpath, so you have to walk along the green space next to the road. Might be tricky in winter, easy in summer. Just take care when trucks and cars coming from behind! After some 300m you're at the ramp. There's enough space for you to stand on, and it's easy for cars to recognize you and to stop. Have a look at the picture for this spot. Oh, someone mentioned that this spot might be illegal to stand on, but can you find an Autobahn sign in the picture ? ;-)
Option 3
Also you can get to a gas station on the A1 heading to Denmark by catching the S-Bahn to the stop called Wilhelmsburg. From there catch bus number 13 to the stop Kirchdorf süd, which is the last stop on the route. Walk up past where the buses turn around, follow the highway to the right, go under the highway by way of the tunnel, and there is the gas station!
If you're planing to hitchhike towards Berlin on the A24, there's a big roundabout in the southeast of the city where it's possible to catch a ride directly to Berlin or at least part of the way. This spot is called the Horner Kreisel and is a popular hitchhiking spot for many hitchhikers in Germany. The easiest way to get there is from the Station Hasselbrook (S1, S11). You leave the train in the direction of Steindamm, upstairs turn right and the after a few meters left into the Caspar-Voght-Straße. Follow this street 500 meters until the big crossing with Sievekingsallee. On the opposite side of the Sievekingsallee you'll see the busstop Caspar-Voght-Straße. Here you can stand and wait for a ride. This works fine. For hitchhiking to Berlin prepare a cardboard sign with a huge B written on it, which is the number plate sign for cars from Berlin and understood widely.
Some years ago they reconstructed the Horner Kreisel. Earlier it was possible to stand in the middle of it on an busstop, but it was moved. Now the busstop is located before the roundabout where the cars are driving pretty fast, and on the Kreise the cars have no opportunity to stop.
Some hithchhikers claim that hitching on the roundabout turn-off direction Berlin is easier, as here you have much more traffic going your way. It's recommended to stand immediately after the roundabout, in the grass before the blue motorway sign. Cars can stop right after the motorway sign. This place is used by many hitchhikers. It's not uncommon to find a direct lift to Berlin in 5 minutes. But it has to be pointed out that doing so is against the law, for the Autobahn starts there − and you must not walk or stop on it. Hitchhikers and drivers, who stop there, can be fined. Apart form the legal aspect, bear in mind that this may be dangerous for you!
If you want to go to Puttgarden for going into Scandinavia, you can hitch to the ferry at Puttgarden, and get a ride straight to Copenhagen. Have a look at the Puttgarden article for more info.
Resources
Drink
Free refills, pick up a cup and get high on fizzy drinks. At:
- Mundsburg(U2) in McDonalds
- Billwerder-Moorfleet(S21) in IKEA
Internet access
At Hauptbahnhof in McDonalds for free.
Callshops
Public transport
Blackriding is possible, albeit risky. Controllers are very frequent and often wear civil clothes, so they cannot be noticed before the doors are closed. And since they do not receive hourly wage but salary depending on how many people they catch, playing the "dumb tourist" will have no effect on them; they want you in their record. For routs of public transport check hvv.de or http://www.geofox.de/base/welcome.jsp
Links
- Hamburg in the Hitchbase - Nine entries, all in German
- Petition for the roundabout Horner Kreisel
